Tow and emergency roadside assistance locating and tracking mobile application

ABSTRACT

A system for providing dynamic roadside assistance coordination may include a customer mobile device or vehicle in direct, or indirect, wireless communication with an insurance provider and/or service provider remote server. The customer&#39;s device may transmit a request for roadside assistance (e.g., towing services), and a current GPS location. In response, a closest, trusted service provider vehicle may be determined, and then directed to the customer&#39;s location. For instance, a software application may receive the customer location and compare it with availability information to match the customer with a close and trusted service provider. The customer&#39;s device may receive an acknowledgement that help is on the way, and be able to track the current location of the service provider vehicle while en route. Payment for the roadside assistance may be automatically and electronically paid by the insurance provider. As a result, prompt and safe roadside assistance may be provided.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The current patent application is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/246,153, titled “TOW AND EMERGENCY ROADSIDEASSISTANCE LOCATING AND TRACKING MOBILE APPLICATION”, filed Aug. 24,2016, which claims priority benefit with regard to all common subjectmatter to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/213,841, titled “TOWAND EMERGENCY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE LOCATING AND TRACKING MOBILEAPPLICATION”, filed Sep. 3, 2015; and U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/233,498, titled “TOW AND EMERGENCY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE LOCATINGAND TRACKING MOBILE APPLICATION”, filed Sep. 28, 2015. The listedearlier-filed provisional applications are hereby incorporated byreference in their entireties into the current patent application.Further, the present non-provisional patent application is related toidentically-titled co-pending non-provisional patent application Ser.No. 15/246,123, filed Aug. 24, 2016; and Ser. No. 15/246,084, filed Aug.24, 2016.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods forsecure, location-based roadside resource matching, tracking, andmanagement.

BACKGROUND

Existing software-based and mobile device-based systems for aidingmotorists seeking roadside assistance rely on a fractured collection ofinformation databases and lack effective means for adequate real-timequality and security control. For example, the most common method for amotorist to locate and obtain tow assistance involves opening a webbrowser or mobile application, searching a provider aggregation ormapping database for a provider in the area, and contacting the providerof choice. Occasionally, the motorist may access a provider reviewdatabase to obtain information regarding one or more such providersbefore selecting one to contact. Such steps, when taken, involveaccessing different information databases, leading to longer waits andcomplicated search efforts.

Motorists' fragmented reliance on multiple databases and databaseoperators also hinders the ability of operators and providers toeffectively track service calls from start to completion. For example, areview website operator may capture a subset of its users' subjectivethoughts regarding provider efficacy; but such an approach does notcapture other details regarding the providers' performance withnon-reporting motorists and with respect to unreported aspects ofservice calls. Attempts to obtain such information directly fromproviders are even less likely to result in a trustworthy cross-sectionof data.

Certain existing systems combine provider contact information andprovider review databases for access at a single URL or via a singlemobile application. However, such systems rely on a patchwork ofvoluntarily-provided motorist feedback for quality and security control.Such feedback may be provided in the form of electronically-submittedcomments or via survey soliciting numerical rankings and scalars thatmay be aggregated with other reviews to rate the providers. But the lowresponse rate from motorists and the inevitable skew toward responsesthat are either unusually good or unusually bad tend to reduce theusefulness of these systems. Moreover, any security benefits motoristsmight realize are backward-looking; such solutions do not providereal-time information about the specific employee assigned to a motoristby a provider, nor about that employee's progress on the job.

There is therefore a need for a new system and method for aidingmotorists in obtaining secure, location-based roadside resource matchingand tracking.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present technology relate to systems andcomputer-implemented methods for dynamic roadside assistancecoordination. The embodiments may provide comprehensive coverage ofcustomer-side and provider-side activities throughout and in relation toservice runs. The embodiments may also enable a system operator not onlyto provide useful real-time progress and security data to customers, butto maintain a rich and dynamic network of providers in which customersare informed by objective, system-observed data. These benefits may berealized by a network of customer software applications, a network ofprovider software applications, and an operations server for performingand coordinating the system of embodiments of the present technology.

More particularly, in a first aspect, a system for providing dynamicroadside assistance coordination may be provided. The system maycomprise a mobile electronic device of a provider. The provider mobileelectronic device may execute a provider software application configuredto obtain and transmit provider location information in connection witha service run by the provider. The system may also include a mobileelectronic device of a customer. The customer mobile electronic devicemay execute a customer software application configured to obtain andtransmit customer location information and to receive and display theprovider location information on a screen. The system may furtherinclude an operations server having a memory element configured to storeavailability information associated with a plurality of roadsideassistance service providers including the provider. The system mayfurther include a processing element that executes an operationssoftware application. The operations software application may beconfigured to receive the customer location information and compare thecustomer location information with the availability information to matchthe customer with the provider to facilitate providing roadsideassistance to the customer or customer location. The system may includeadditional, less, or alternate functionality, including that discussedelsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a system for managing a dynamic roadside assistancenetwork may be provided. The system may include a provider networkhaving a plurality of copies of a provider software applicationinstalled separately on a plurality of provider mobile electronicdevices belonging to a plurality of roadside assistance serviceproviders. The provider software application may be configured to obtainand transmit provider location information in connection with theservice runs. The system may further include a customer network having aplurality of copies of a customer software application installedseparately on a plurality of customer mobile electronic devicesbelonging to a plurality of customers. The customer software applicationmay be configured to obtain and transmit customer location informationand to receive and display the provider location information on ascreen. The system may further include an operations server having amemory element configured to store availability information associatedwith the plurality of roadside assistance service providers. Theoperations server may further have a processing element executing anoperations software application. The operations software application maybe configured to receive the customer location information and compareit to the availability information to match the customer with at leastone provider of the plurality of roadside assistance service providers.The system may include additional, less, or alternate functionality,including that discussed elsewhere herein.

In still another aspect, a system for facilitating roadside assistancemay be provided. The system may include a mobile electronic device of aprovider that executes a provider software application. The providersoftware application may be configured to obtain and transmit providerlocation information in connection with a service run by the provider.The system may further include a mobile electronic device of a customerthat executes a customer software application. The customer softwareapplication may be configured to obtain and transmit customer locationinformation and to receive and display the provider location informationon a screen. The system may further include an operations server havinga memory element configured to store availability information associatedwith a plurality of roadside assistance service providers including theprovider. The operations server may further have a processing elementthat executes an operations software application. The operationssoftware application may be configured to receive the customer locationinformation and compare the customer location information with theavailability information to match the customer with the provider. Thesystem may include additional, less, or alternate functionality,including that discussed elsewhere herein.

In still another aspect, a computer-implemented method for providingdynamic roadside assistance coordination may be provided. The method mayinclude: (1) receiving customer location information from a mobileelectronic device of a customer; (2) matching, via an operations server,the customer to a provider based upon the customer location informationand availability information relating to a plurality of roadsideassistance service providers including a provider; and/or (3) receivingprovider location information of the provider relating to a service runfrom a provider mobile electronic device. The method may includeadditional, less, or alternate actions, including those discussedelsewhere herein.

In still another aspect, another computer-implemented method forproviding dynamic roadside assistance coordination may be provided. Themethod may include: (1) distributing a customer software applicationconfigured to transmit customer location information via a customermobile electronic device; (2) matching, via an operations server, thecustomer to a provider based upon the customer location information andavailability information relating to a plurality of roadside assistanceservice providers including the provider; and/or (3) distributing aprovider software application configured to transmit provider locationinformation of the provider on a service run via a provider mobileelectronic device. The method may include additional, less, or alternateactions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

In still another aspect, a computer-implemented method for managing adynamic roadside assistance network may be provided. The method mayinclude: (1) providing a provider software application for execution onprovider mobile electronic devices of a plurality of roadside assistanceservice providers, the provider software application being configured toobtain and transmit provider location information in connection withservice runs; (2) providing a customer software application forexecution on customer mobile electronic devices of a plurality ofcustomers, the customer software application being configured to obtainand transmit customer location information and to receive and displaythe provider location information on a screen; (3) storing, via anoperations server, availability information associated with theplurality of roadside assistance service providers; (4) receiving, viathe operations server, the customer location information; and/or (5)comparing, via the operations server, the customer location informationwith the availability information to match the customer with a providerof the plurality of roadside assistance service providers. The methodmay include additional, less, or alternate actions, including thosediscussed elsewhere herein.

In still another aspect, a computer-implemented method for facilitatingroadside assistance may be provided. The method may include: (1)receiving customer location information from a mobile electronic deviceof a customer; (2) matching, via an operations server, the customer to aprovider based upon the customer location information and availabilityinformation relating to a plurality of roadside assistance serviceproviders including a provider; and/or (3) receiving provider locationinformation of the provider relating to a service run from a providermobile electronic device. The method may include additional, less, oralternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

Advantages of these and other embodiments will become more apparent tothose skilled in the art from the following description of the exemplaryembodiments which have been shown and described by way of illustration.As will be realized, the present embodiments described herein may becapable of other and different embodiments, and their details arecapable of modification in various respects. Accordingly, the drawingsand description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not asrestrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The Figures described below depict various aspects of systems andmethods disclosed therein. It should be understood that each Figuredepicts an embodiment of a particular aspect of the disclosed systemsand methods, and that each of the Figures is intended to accord with apossible embodiment thereof. Further, wherever possible, the followingdescription refers to the reference numerals included in the followingFigures, in which features depicted in multiple Figures are designatedwith consistent reference numerals. The present embodiments are notlimited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown in theFigures.

FIG. 1 illustrates various components of an exemplary system forproviding dynamic roadside assistance shown in block schematic form;

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate various components of exemplary servers thatmay be used with the system and shown in block schematic form;

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate various components of exemplary mobileelectronic devices that may be used with the system and shown in blockschematic form;

FIG. 6 illustrates at least a portion of the steps of a first exemplarycomputer-implemented method for providing dynamic roadside assistancecoordination; and

FIGS. 7A, 78, 7C and 7D illustrate various components of an exemplarysystem and a method for providing dynamic roadside assistance.

The Figures depict exemplary embodiments for purposes of illustrationonly. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the followingdiscussion that alternative embodiments of the systems and methodsillustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principlesof the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present embodiments may relate to, inter alia, secure and convenientroadside assistance services and a managed provider network. Thecomprehensive and balanced exchange of information between a customersoftware application installed on a customer mobile electronic device, aprovider software application installed on a provider mobile electronicdevice, and an operations software application installed on anoperations server, permits exchange and storage of a superior data flow.

For example, the customer may be in need of roadside assistance and haveaccess to his mobile electronic device. Accessing the customer softwareapplication, the customer may select the desired service. The customersoftware application may cause acquisition of geographic positioningcoordinate data from a global positioning receiver and transmit thisinformation to the operations server. The operations server may thenmatch the customer to a provider selected from amongst a plurality ofroadside assistance providers represented in a provider databaseaccessible to the operations server.

A qualifying provider may then begin the service run. Consistent dataflow throughout the run between the aforementioned software applicationsmay permit the customer to be kept apprised of an estimated or projectedarrival time of the provider's employee, the provider's location, and ofsecurity-related information, such as the identity of the employeeand/or any historical performance data that may improve the customer'sexperience.

Following completion of the service run, the operations server maycombine data collected autonomously and/or through submissions of theprovider and/or employee, analyze same against a number of rules and/oraverage performance characteristics of other providers, and store theforegoing in a plurality of provider performance profiles, eachassociated with a provider. The operations server may further obtainand/or store additional external information in the provider performanceprofiles, for example ratings from external review databases and/orpublic records regarding criminal activity(ies) of provider employees orthe like.

Exemplary Customer Benefits

The customer receives a number of benefits from utilizing embodiments ofthe present technology. Exemplary benefits to customers may includethose mentioned below. For instance, one benefit may relate to secureand transparent provision of services by providers. The continuousexchange of the data and information discussed herein between thecustomer software application, the provider software application andoperations software application mean that the provider and its employeeswill be keenly aware of their visibility throughout the course of aservice run. Not only will this increase the chances that the provider'semployee will take ownership of his or her performance, but will deterpoor or perhaps devious performance of services and even criminalactivity.

The customer may relatedly enjoy real-time security benefits throughreceipt and awareness of information regarding the provider employeespecifically assigned to the service run. This may include a picture ofthe employee, which is perhaps the most potent and memorable piece ofinformation for identifying imposters and the like that might seek toharm or take advantage of a stranded motorist.

The accumulation of information obtained through this relativelycomprehensive assistance system goes beyond real-time service runbenefits discussed above. Over time, the memory element of theoperations database will accumulate performance data and characteristicsin provider performance profiles, which may further include sub-filesassigned to specific employees for added accuracy and richer informationfor provision to customers. This accumulated information will allow theoperator of the operations server to weight the matching process and/orprovide the customer with options for matching providers providingvisibility as to provider pricing, history of expedient performance,network coverage status, history of security incidents, and the like.Moreover, this accumulated information may be untainted by subjectiveuser reviews in certain embodiments, for example because it may be basedupon collection of objective and comprehensive data rather than thevoluntary and haphazard responses obtained through traditional userreview mechanisms. The foregoing combine to provide a more robust andimproved source of information for user selection and matching toproviders.

In addition, combination of the foregoing functions in a systemaccessible via a single customer software application accessible on amobile device dramatically improves the efficiency of obtaining roadsideassistance services and provides greater surety as to the identity,quality, and status of insurance coverage of providers and service runs.

Further, the payment process for the service run may be improved byembodiments of the present technology. For example, the customersoftware application may pay directly from the customer mobileelectronic device, request payment by an insurance provider, and/orreceive an electronic invoice, all based upon automated process and/oras requested by the customer. The issuance of an invoice may even becomeautomated, for example where the operations software application isconfigured to determine the conclusion of a service run automatically bydivergence of the global positioning system (GPS) signals of thecustomer and provider, and to automatically issue an invoice appropriatefor the contractual relationships between the parties. Still further,the customer may be saved the trouble of determining whether insurancecoverage applies to an invoice for the service run based upon thedeterminations of the operations server based upon the provider databasemade throughout the matching process.

Specific embodiments of the technology will now be described inconnection with the attached drawing figures. The embodiments areintended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Otherembodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departingfrom the scope of the present invention. The following detaileddescription is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. Thescope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims,along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims areentitled.

Exemplary System

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary environment in which embodiments of a system10 may be utilized for transmitting and receiving location information,coverage criteria, billing information, and the other informationdescribed herein (the “system information”). The environment may includea network 12 and computer servers 14, 16 as seen in FIG. 1, with whichthe system 10 interfaces to send and receive system information. Thesystem 10 may be utilized to automatically communicate with customers,providers and/or external databases, such as those operated by insurancecarriers, criminal record custodians, and customer review websites. Thesystem 10 may broadly comprise one or more provider mobile electronicdevices 18, one or more customer mobile electronic devices 20, and theaforementioned one or more servers 14, 16 including an operations server14 and second server 16. Provider mobile electronic device 18 mayexecute provider software application 22, customer mobile electronicdevice 20 may execute customer software application 24, operationsserver 14 may execute operations software application 26, and secondserver 16 may execute second server software application 28.

The network 12 may generally allow communication between the mobileelectronic devices 18, 20 and the servers 14, 16, and also between theoperations server 14 and the second server 16. The network 12 mayinclude local area networks, metro area networks, wide area networks,cloud networks, the Internet, cellular networks, plain old telephoneservice (POTS) networks, and the like, or combinations thereof. Thenetwork 12 may be wired, wireless, or combinations thereof and mayinclude components such as modems, gateways, switches, routers, hubs,access points, repeaters, towers, and the like. The mobile electronicdevices 18, 20 generally connect to the network 12 wirelessly, such asradio frequency (RF) communication using wireless standards such ascellular 2G, 3G, or 4G, Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards such as WiFi, IEEE 802.16 standardssuch as WiMAX, Bluetooth®, or combinations thereof.

Each computer server 14, 16 generally retains electronic data and mayrespond to requests to retrieve data as well as to store data. Thecomputer servers 14, 16 may be embodied by application servers, databaseservers, file servers, gaming servers, mail servers, print servers, webservers, or the like, or combinations thereof. Furthermore, the computerservers 14, 16 may include a plurality of servers, virtual servers, orcombinations thereof. The computer servers 14, 16 may be configured toinclude or execute software such as file storage applications, databaseapplications, email or messaging applications, web server applications,or the like, in addition to and/or in conjunction with softwareapplications 26, 28. The computer servers 14, 16 may apply businessmethods or algorithms, may utilize lookup tables or databases, orcombinations thereof to determine insurance rates or premiums, terms ofa loan, or both. Insurance providers and service providers may each ownone or more computer servers 14, 16 that may automatically provideinformation about insurance policies and coverage criteria.

More specifically, the servers 14, 16, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, generallymanage the transfer of data between mobile electronic devices 18, 20 andbetween one another. Each of the servers 14, 16 may also include acommunication element 30, 32, a processing element 34, 36, and a memoryelement 38, 40.

The communication elements 30, 32 generally allow communication withexternal systems or devices. The communication elements 30, 32 mayinclude signal or data transmitting and receiving circuits, such asantennas, amplifiers, filters, mixers, oscillators, digital signalprocessors (DSPs), and the like. The communication elements 30, 32 mayestablish communication wirelessly by utilizing RF signals and/or datathat comply with communication standards such as cellular 2G, 3G, or 4G,IEEE 802.11 standard such as WiFi, IEEE 802.16 standard such as WiMAX,Bluetooth™, or combinations thereof. Alternatively, or in addition, thecommunication elements 30, 32 may establish communication throughconnectors or couplers that receive metal conductor wires or cableswhich are compatible with networking technologies such as ethernet. Incertain embodiments, the communication elements 30, 32 may also couplewith optical fiber cables. The communication elements 30, 32 may be incommunication with or electronically coupled to memory elements 38, 40and/or processing elements 34, 36.

The memory elements 38, 40 may include data storage components such asread-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM, erasable programmable ROM,random-access memory (RAM) such as static RAM (SRAM) or dynamic RAM(DRAM), cache memory, hard disks, floppy disks, optical disks, flashmemory, thumb drives, USB ports, or the like, or combinations thereof.The memory elements 38, 40 may include, or may constitute, a“computer-readable medium”. The memory elements 38, 40 may store theinstructions, code, code segments, software, firmware, programs,applications, apps, services, daemons, or the like that are executed bythe processing elements 34, 36. The memory elements 38, 40 may alsostore settings, data, documents, sound files, photographs, movies,images, databases, and the like.

The processing elements 34, 36 may include processors, microprocessors,microcontrollers, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), analogand/or digital application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or thelike, or combinations thereof. The processing elements 34, 36 maygenerally execute, process, or run instructions, code, code segments,software, firmware, programs, applications, apps, processes, services,daemons, or the like. The processing elements 34, 36 may also includehardware components, such as finite-state machines, sequential andcombinational logic, and other electronic circuits that may perform thefunctions necessary for the operation of embodiments of the currentinventive concept. The processing elements 34, 36 may be incommunication with the other electronic components through serial orparallel links that include address busses, data busses, control lines,and the like.

The mobile electronic devices 18, 20 may be embodied by a smart watch, asmart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet, a palmtop orlaptop computer, a notebook, a netbook, a smart watch, smart glasses,wearable electronics, or other mobile device, and may be typicallycarried by, or near, the customer while driving. The mobile electronicdevices 18, 20 may include GPS receiver elements 42, 44, memory elements46, 48, processing elements 50, 52, software applications 22, 24 and/orcommunications elements 54, 56, as seen in FIGS. 4-5. Specifically forthe mobile electronic devices 18, 20, the memory elements 46, 48 maystore the software applications 22, 24, respectively, and the processingelements 50, 52 may execute the software applications 22, 24.

The majority of components of the mobile electronic devices 18, 20—morespecifically, the communications elements 54, 56, processing elements50, 52, and memory elements 46, 48—each operate under similar principlesto those set forth above with respect to analogous components of theservers 14, 16. GPS receivers 42, 44 operate according to knownprinciples for GPS receivers and/or chips common to smartphones.

The mobile electronic devices 18, 20 may also include displays 58, 60(see, e.g., FIG. 1) which may include video devices of the followingtypes: plasma, light-emitting diode (LED), organic LED (OLED), LightEmitting Polymer (LEP) or Polymer LED (PLED), liquid crystal display(LCD), thin film transistor (TFT) LCD, LED side-lit or back-lit LCD, orthe like, or combinations thereof. The displays 58, 60 may possess asquare or a rectangular aspect ratio and may be viewed in either alandscape or a portrait mode. In various embodiments, the displays 58,60 may also include a touch screen occupying the entire screen or aportion thereof so that the display functions as part of a userinterface. The touch screen may allow the user to interact with themobile electronic device 18, 20 by physically touching, swiping, orgesturing on areas of the screen.

The software applications 22, 24 may generally control the behavior ofthe mobile electronic devices 18, 20 when the devices 18, 20 areinteracting with the each other and with the servers 14, 16, for examplevia the network 12, according to the configurations described herein andaccording to the present inventive concept.

Exemplary Computer-Implemented Method

FIG. 6 depicts a listing of steps of an exemplary computer-implementedmethod 100 for providing dynamic roadside assistance coordination. Thesteps may be performed in the order shown in FIG. 6, or they may beperformed in a different order. Furthermore, some steps may be performedconcurrently as opposed to sequentially. In addition, some steps may beoptional. The steps of the computer-implemented method 100 may beperformed by the system 10.

Referring to step 101, the operations server 14 may receive customerinformation indicating a desire to initiate a service run. The customermay use the customer software application 24 to request a roadsideservice run by selecting a desired provider type. The customer softwareapplication 24 may employ known secure login techniques, such aspassword entry gateway, to permit access and use. The customer mayselect the desired provider type from among, for example, any of (a)tow, (b) lock out relief, (c) tire change, (d) jump start, and (e) fueldelivery. In some cases, the customer software application 24 may beconfigured to support a single provider type, for example only towservice providers, and thus selection of a desired provider type maysimply comprise the customer's entry of a request for service.

The customer software application 24 may also instruct the collection ofcustomer location information. The customer location information may becollected via a global positioning receiver 44 of the customer mobileelectronic device 20. (As used herein, performing a function “via” anelement means, in addition to its plain and ordinary meaning, to utilizethe element in furtherance of the function.) The customer locationinformation may alternatively be collected by the customer softwareapplication 24 via manual input at the customer mobile electronic device20. The customer location information may be collected periodically orcontinuously by the customer software application 24, but may also becollected only once in connection with each requested service run.Collection may also be performed autonomously by the installed customersoftware application 24, or may be triggered by the customer, forexample through selection of the desired provider type. The mode ofcollection for customer location information may be configured at leastin part by the customer's selection of privacy setting during a setup orsubsequent configuration process for the customer software application24.

The customer location information and desired provider type may also becombined with additional information in a customer information bundleprior to or following the initial transmission by the customer mobileelectronic device 20 to the operations server 14. Such additionalinformation may include customer contact information and an insurancecoverage type of the customer. The customer contact information mayinclude a telephone number, e-mail address, physical address, or othersimilar information. The insurance coverage type may be a reference to aspecific customer policy, group number, or type of policy such as“roadside plus” or similar moniker identifiable by the operations serveras representing a level of coverage. The customer mobile electronicdevice 20 may transmit the customer information bundle to the operationsserver 14 via communications element 56.

Referring to step 102, the operations server 14 may match the customerto a provider based upon the customer information provided according tothe steps set forth above. The processing element 34 of the operationsserver 14 may execute the operations software application 26 and memoryelement 38 may be configured to store a provider database containingavailability information for a plurality of roadside assistanceproviders. The database may include information regarding a singleprovider type or several provider types. The availability informationmay include a range of geographic services offered by the providerand/or provider location information. The availability information mayalso include coverage criteria such as a flag associated with each ofthe plurality of roadside assistance providers indicating a networkstatus of “in-network” or “out-of-network,” i.e., indicating aqualification to complete the service run under one or more insurancecoverage types. The coverage criteria may also be based upon aninsurance policy status of the customer. Other known factors fordetermining insurance coverage may also be considered “coveragecriteria” hereunder without departing from the spirit of the presentinventive concept. The availability information may further includeinformation about the pricing offered by the plurality of roadsideassistance providers.

Upon receipt of the customer information bundle, the operations server14 may match the customer to a provider using the provider database. Forexample, the desired provider type may be compared against the range ofservices offered by each provider in the database. Customer locationinformation may be compared against the range of geographic servicesoffered by qualifying providers and/or against such providers' locationinformation to determine proximity and therefore likelihood of expedientcompletion of the service run. The operations server may furtherdetermine a list of qualifying providers by comparing against coveragecriteria, for example by comparing the insurance coverage type of thecustomer against the network status flags of the providers to aid thecustomer in choosing a provider that qualifies to perform the servicerun under the customer's insurance policy. Where the coverage criteriais not stored locally, the operations server 14 may transmit at least aportion of the customer information bundle to second server 16 having asecond processing element 36 for performing the desired analysis. Theoperations server 14 may be configured to receive the results of such acomparison, i.e., the indication of coverage criteria satisfaction, fromthe second server 16 via its communication element 30. Where severalproviders result from one or more of the above comparisons, theoperations server 14 may transmit a request to the qualifying providersfor voluntary submission of an estimated arrival time and/or anopportunity to submit a lower price bid, and may further refine the listof qualifying providers according to the fastest response time and/orlowest bid. It is envisioned that other, similar “tie breakers” may beutilized with the present technology without departing from the spiritof the present inventive concept.

The operations server 14 may further send one or more qualifying serviceproviders a service run confirmation request. The service runconfirmation request may be sent to the provider's mobile electronicdevice 18 (see, e.g., FIG. 4). The provider software application 22 maybe configured to display at the user interface 58 of the device 18 anoption for the provider to select or confirm whether the service run isaccepted (i.e., a positive response). If the provider mobile electronicdevice 18 transmits a positive response to the operations server 14, theoperations server 14 may treat this as a completed match, e.g., if onlyone service run conformation request was sent. Alternatively, theoperations server 14 may compare the response against others, forexample based upon promptness of response, and finally select a providerto conduct the service run for the customer. The operations server 14may then optionally provider a final notice of confirmation to theprovider that it has been awarded the service run. If the provider'sresponse is negative, the operations software application 26 may beconfigured to move to the second provider on a qualifying providers listand/or to engage in a second matching step iteration to repeat theforegoing process.

Referring to step 103, the operations software application 26 may beconfigured to transmit customer information to the provider usingcommunication element 30. Customer location information may be gatheredand transmitted to the operations server 14 continuously, periodicallyand/or on demand by the provider and/or customer. The customer locationinformation may be transmitted by the operations server 14 to theprovider software application 22. The provider mobile electronic device18 may display the customer location information on the screen ordisplay 58 of the provider mobile electronic device 18, for example tokeep the provider apprised of any changes in position of the customerfollowing the initialization of the service run.

Referring to step 104, the provider software application 22 may furtherbe configured to transmit to the customer mobile electronic device 20(see, e.g., FIG. 5) and/or the operations server 14, and/or tosupplement the operations server's 14 database with, a provider employeeinformation bundle. The provider employee information may includeprovider employee security information, such as a photograph of theemployee, contact information specifically for the employee and/orrelating to the provider mobile electronic device 18, and/or providerlocation information for the employee. The provider employee securityinformation may be obtained by selection of an employee sub-profile onthe provider mobile electronic device 18 and/or other file containingexisting information regarding the employee, by generation of a filemanually by the employee, and/or may be automatically obtained at theprovider mobile electronic device 18 by the provider softwareapplication 22. For example, upon acceptance of a service run, theprovider software application 22 may automatically provide a capturetiming notification to the screen or display 58 of the provider mobileelectronic device 18, for instance notifying the employee that he willhave ten seconds to position his face in view of a camera of the device18. The provider software application 22 may then automatically triggera corresponding capture by the camera, encrypt the resulting content,and send via secure transmission to the customer and/or operationsserver 14 for evaluation and/or display on the screen 60 of the customermobile electronic device 20. It is envisioned that additional types ofemployee security information may be included in the present technologywithout departing from the spirit of the present inventive concept.

At least a portion of the provider employee information bundle may betransmitted by the operations server 14 to the customer mobileelectronic 20 device for display on the screen 60 of the device 20. Theoperations server 14 may further transmit an estimated arrival time tothe customer mobile electronic device 20 for display thereon. Theestimated arrival time may be submitted to the operations server 14 viathe provider mobile electronic device 18 or may be calculated fromprovider location information (with or without optional confirmation ofthe calculated value by the provider). The estimated arrival time may beautomatically calculated by the provider software application 22,operations software application 26, and/or customer software application24 based upon information obtained from the global positioning receiver42 of the provider mobile electronic device 18 and/or may be manuallyinput by the provider.

Referring to steps 103 and 104 collectively, the service run having beeninitiated according to the foregoing process, embodiments of the presenttechnology may enable continuous contact and tracking between theprovider, customer and operations server 14. For example, the providersoftware application 22 may be configured to cause continuousacquisition of provider location information and transmission of same tothe customer mobile electronic device 20, e.g., via the operationsserver 14. The provider software application 22 may instruct acquisitionof the provider location information by global positioning receiver 42and/or via manual input by the provider at the provider mobileelectronic device 18. The display 60 of the customer mobile electronicdevice 20 may continuously provide a real-time progress graphic to thecustomer regarding the service run. The provider location informationmay alternatively be transmitted to and/or displayed by the customermobile electronic device 20 upon manual request by the customer via thecustomer software application 24.

The provider location information and/or customer location informationmay optionally be further processed into an e-alert format by any of thecustomer software application 24, provider software application 22and/or operations software application 26. An e-alert format is oneconfigured to provide additional context to the location information,for example by associating provider location information with a midpointbetween an initial provider location and the customer's location, orwith a “ten minutes to estimated arrival time,” or with other similarinformation that may be useful to the customer in understanding theprovider's progress. The e-alert format information may be displayed onthe screen 60, 58 of the customer mobile electronic device 20 and/orprovider mobile electronic device 18 automatically as an overlay on areal-time tracking map application graphic and/or may be stored as aseries of discrete notifications accessible by the customer and/orprovider. The provider location information in e-alert format may becontinuously made available at the mobile electronic device(s) 18, 20 orperiodically generated automatically or upon request as a series ofe-alerts. It is envisioned that a variety of similar e-alert formats maybe employed with the present technology without departing from thespirit of the present inventive concept.

Referring to step 105, the operations server 14 determines an indicationof service run completion. In one example, the indication of service runcompletion may include comparison of the customer location informationwith the provider location information. Once the positions of thecustomer and provider converge, and then diverge a sufficient distance,for example according to a pre-determined range of times and geographicradius parameters, the indication of service run completion may bedetermined. The operations server 14 may optionally issue a completionconfirmation request to the customer and/or provider. Alternatively, theoperations server 14 will merely receive a voluntarily-providedindication from at least one of the customer mobile electronic device 20and provider mobile electronic device 18, indicating the service run iscomplete.

Referring to step 106, following completion of the service run, theoperations server 14 proceeds with completing the billing process forthe service run. For example, the customer may enter and transmit anindication of desired payment at the customer mobile electronic device20, essentially instigating the billing process and signaling the runhas been successfully and satisfactorily completed. The operationsserver 14 may receive such an indication and issue a notification ofpayment to the provider, signaling the occurrence of the foregoing.Alternatively, the provider may enter an indication of desired paymentvia the provider mobile electronic device 18. In either case, theoperations server 14 may respond with appropriate invoicing documentsissued to one or both of the customer and provider. The operationsserver 14 may alternatively automatically issue an invoice based upondetermination of an indication of service run completion by the customersoftware application 24 and/or by the operations software application26. The operations server 14 may automatically issue an invoice basedupon the indication of service run completion. It is envisioned thatother facts may be relied on to determine the indication of service runcompletion without departing from the spirit of the present inventiveconcept.

Referring to step 107, the operations server 14 will continuously and/orupon completion of each service run, aggregate, analyze and storeperformance data. Data that is generated regarding the performance andrepresentations made by each provider may be recorded throughout theservice runs and saved to the provider database. The customer softwareapplication 24 may further be configured to collect subjective customerfeedback, for example relating to any security or performance concernsidentified by the customer. Such information may be transmitted to theoperations server 14 for storage in association with the providerdatabase, any may be flagged as having been obtained through subjectiveobservation mechanisms.

In addition, accumulated data regarding the steps and methods performedaccording to the above may be stored with reference specifically to eachprovider and provider employee, respectively, in provider performanceprofiles and provider employee performance sub-profiles. For instance,the operations server 14 may instruct the memory element 38 to storeprovider location information over the course of each service run. Theprocessing element 34 of the operations server may compare the actualarrival time information against estimated arrival time data todetermine efficiency and response time as compared with promises madebefore being awarded the service run. The operations server 14 mayfurther determine time to service completion, which may be stored and/orcompared against at least one of (a) average times to service completionof other providers, and (b) a standard time to service completionassociated with a category of the service runs. The memory element 38may be configured to store the results of the time to service completioninformation. It is envisioned that additional useful analyses may beperformed on the data collected by the present technology, and may bestored and relied upon for an improved customer experience, withoutdeparting from the spirit of the present inventive concept.

The method 100 may include additional, less, or alternate actions,including those discussed elsewhere herein, and/or may be implementedvia a computer system, communication network, one or more processors orservers (e.g., communication beacons, vehicle control/communicationsystems, mobile devices, and/or remote servers), and/orcomputer-executable instructions stored on non-transitory storage mediaor computer readable medium.

Another Exemplary System Embodiment

Referring again to FIGS. 1-5, another exemplary system for providingdynamic roadside assistance coordination is described. The presentembodiments described in this patent application and other possibleembodiments may relate to systems and methods for providing dynamicroadside assistance coordination. A plurality of customers that may seekroadside assistance may each be provided a copy of a customer softwareapplication 24 for installation and execution on a customer mobileelectronic device 20. A plurality of roadside assistance providers mayeach similarly be provided a copy of a complementary provider softwareapplication 22 for installation and execution on a mobile electronicdevice 18. These software applications 22, 24 may be specificallyconfigured to guide the performance of certain tasks unique to thehardware capabilities of such mobile electronic devices 18, 20.

For the avoidance of doubt, each such software application 22, 24 may bedifferently configured as installed on each device 18, 20, may be at adifferent stage of update/upgrade, and/or may have access to differentdata, while still being considered a “copy” respectively of the“customer software application” 22 or “provider software application”24. To be considered a copy of such a category of each respectivesoftware application 22, 24 an application need merely be configured toperform the recited task(s). While certain claims may recitedistribution of many copies of a single customer software application 24and many copies of a single provider software application 22, most ofthe description provided herein focuses on a single instance of each andrelated use scenarios, with the understanding that similarly-situatedcustomers and providers may utilize the system in similar ways withoutdeparting from the spirit of the present inventive concept. However, itis also important to recognize the ingenuity and usefulness of utilizinga distributed network of such applications 22, 24 and gathering theresulting data over time into a robust and comprehensive databasecomprising objectively-gathered information.

Returning to a general discussion of a system of the present technology,the coordinated execution of the software applications 22, 24 inconjunction with execution of central operations software application 26on operations server 14, may provide an information flow and series ofuser interface interactions that improves the security, efficiency, andrepeatability of quality roadside assistance services.

The customer may use the customer software application 24 to request aroadside service run by selecting a desired provider type. The customersoftware application 24 may be configured to employ known secure logintechniques, such as password entry gateway, to permit access and use.The customer software application 24 may be configured to permit thecustomer to select the desired provider type from among, for example,any of (a) tow, (b) lock out relief, (c) tire change, (d) jump start,and (e) fuel delivery. In some cases, the customer software application24 may be configured to support a single provider type, for example onlytow service providers, and thus selection of a desired provider type maysimply comprise the customer's entry of a request for service.

The customer software application 24 may also be configured to instructthe collection of customer location information. The customer locationinformation may be collected via global positioning receiver 44 of thecustomer mobile electronic device 20. The customer location informationmay alternatively be collected by the customer software application 24via manual input at the customer mobile electronic device 20. Thecustomer location information may be collected periodically orcontinuously by the customer software application 24, but may also becollected only once in connection with each requested service run.Collection may also be performed autonomously by the installed customersoftware application 24, or may be triggered by the customer, forexample through selection of the desired provider type. The mode ofcollection for customer location information may be configured at leastin part by the customer's selection of privacy setting during a setup orsubsequent configuration process for the customer software application24.

The customer software application 24 may further be configured tocombine the customer location information and desired provider type withadditional information in a customer information bundle prior to orfollowing the initial transmission by the customer mobile electronic 20device to the operations server 14. Such additional information mayinclude customer contact information and an insurance coverage type ofthe customer. The customer contact information may include a telephonenumber, e-mail address, physical address, or other similar information.The insurance coverage type may be a reference to a specific customerpolicy, group number, or type of policy such as “roadside plus” orsimilar moniker identifiable by the operations server as representing alevel of coverage.

The customer mobile electronic device 20 may transmit the customerinformation bundle to the operations server 14. The operations server 14may include processing element 34 for executing the operations softwareapplication 26 and a memory element 38 configured to store a providerdatabase containing availability information for a plurality of roadsideassistance providers. The database may include information regarding asingle provider type or several provider types. The availabilityinformation may include a range of geographic services offered by theprovider and/or provider location information. The availabilityinformation may also include coverage criteria such as a flag associatedwith each of the plurality of roadside assistance providers indicating anetwork status of “in-network” or “out-of-network,” i.e., indicating aqualification to complete the service run under one or more insurancecoverage types. The coverage criteria may also be based upon aninsurance policy status of the customer. Other known factors fordetermining insurance coverage may also be considered “coveragecriteria” hereunder without departing from the spirit of the presentinventive concept. The availability information may further includeinformation about the pricing offered by the plurality of roadsideassistance providers.

Upon receipt of the customer information bundle, the operations softwareapplication 26 of the operations server 14 may be configured to matchthe customer to a provider using the provider database. For example, thedesired provider type may be compared against the range of servicesoffered by each provider in the database. Customer location informationmay be compared against the range of geographic services offered byqualifying providers and/or against such providers' location informationto determine proximity and therefore likelihood of expedient completionof the service run. The operations server 14 may further determine alist of qualifying providers by comparing against coverage criteria, forexample by comparing the insurance coverage type of the customer againstthe network status flags of the providers to aid the customer inchoosing a provider that qualifies to perform the service run under thecustomer's insurance policy.

Where the coverage criteria is not stored locally, the operationssoftware application 26 of the operations server 14 may be configured totransmit at least a portion of the customer information bundle to secondserver 16 having second processing element 36 for performing the desiredanalysis. The operations software application 26 of the operationsserver 14 may also be configured to receive the results of such acomparison, i.e., the indication of coverage criteria satisfaction, fromthe second server 16. Where several providers result from one or more ofthe above comparisons, the operations server 14 may transmit a requestto the qualifying providers for voluntary submission of an estimatedarrival time and/or an opportunity to submit a lower price bid, and mayfurther refine the list of qualifying providers according to the fastestresponse time and/or lowest bid.

The operations software application 26 of the operations server 14 mayfurther be configured to send one or more qualifying service providers aservice run confirmation request. The service run confirmation requestmay be sent to the provider's mobile electronic device 18. The providersoftware application 22 may be configured to display at the userinterface of the device an option for the provider to select or confirmwhether the service run is accepted (i.e., a positive response). If theprovider mobile electronic device 18 transmits a positive response tothe operations server 14, the operations server 14 may treat this as acompleted match, e.g., if only one service run confirmation request wassent. Alternatively, the operations software application 26 of theoperations server 14 may be configured to compare the response againstothers, for example based upon promptness of response, and finallyselect a provider to conduct the service run for the customer. Theoperations server 14 may then optionally provider a final notice ofconfirmation to the provider that it has been awarded the service run.If the provider's response is negative, the operations softwareapplication 26 may be configured to move to the second provider on aqualifying providers list and/or to engage in a second matching stepiteration to repeat the foregoing process.

The provider software application 22 may further be configured totransmit to the customer mobile electronic device 20 and/or theoperations server 14, and/or to supplement the operations server's 14database with, a provider employee information bundle. The provideremployee information may include provider employee security informationsuch as a photograph of the employee, contact information specificallyfor the employee and/or relating to the provider mobile electronicdevice 18, and/or provider location information for the employee. Theprovider employee security information may be obtained by selection ofan employee sub-profile on the provider mobile electronic device 18and/or other file containing existing information regarding theemployee, by generation of a file manually by the employee, and/or maybe automatically obtained at the provider mobile electronic device 18 bythe provider software application 22. For example, upon acceptance of aservice run, the provider software application 22 may be configured toautomatically provide a capture timing notification to the screen 58 ofthe provider mobile electronic device 18, for instance notifying theemployee that he will have ten second to position his face in view of acamera of the device. The provider software application 22 may thenautomatically trigger a corresponding capture by the camera, encrypt theresulting content, and send via secure transmission to the customerand/or operations server 14 for evaluation and/or display on the screen60 of the customer mobile electronic device 20. It is envisioned thatadditional types of employee security information may be included in thepresent technology without departing from the spirit of the presentinventive concept.

The operations software application 26 may further be configured totransmit at least a portion of the provider employee information to thecustomer mobile electronic device 20 for display on the screen of thedevice 20. The operations software application 26 may further beconfigured to transmit an estimated arrival time to the customer mobileelectronic device 20 for display thereon. The estimated arrival time maybe submitted to the operations server 14 via the provider mobileelectronic device 18 or may be calculated from provider locationinformation (with or without optional confirmation of the calculatedvalue by the provider). The estimated arrival time may be automaticallycalculated by the provider software application 22, operations softwareapplication 26, and/or customer software application 24 based uponinformation obtained from the global positioning receiver 42 of theprovider mobile electronic device 18 and/or may be manually input by theprovider.

The service run having been initiated according to the foregoingdescription, embodiments of the present technology may enable continuouscontact and tracking between the provider, customer and operationsserver 14. For example, the provider software application 22 may beconfigured to cause continuous acquisition of provider locationinformation and transmission of same to the customer mobile electronicdevice 20, e.g., via the operations server 14. The provider softwareapplication 22 may instruct acquisition of the provider locationinformation by a global positioning receiver 42 and/or via manual inputby the provider at the provider mobile electronic device 18. The display60 of the customer mobile electronic device 20 may continuously providea real-time progress graphic to the customer regarding the service run.The provider location information may alternatively be transmitted toand/or displayed by the customer mobile electronic device 20 upon manualrequest by the customer via the customer software application 24.

The customer location information may also be gathered and transmittedto the operations server 14 continuously, periodically and/or on demandby the provider and/or customer. The operations software application 26may be configured to transmit the customer location information to theprovider software application 22. The provider software application 22may be configured to display the customer location information on thescreen 58 of the provider mobile electronic device 18, for example tokeep the provider apprised of any changes in position of the customerfollowing the initialization of the service run.

The provider location information and/or customer location informationmay optionally be further processed into an e-alert format by any of thecustomer software application 24, provider software application 22and/or operations software application 26. An e-alert format is oneconfigured to provide additional context to the location information,for example by associating provider location information with a midpointbetween an initial provider location and the customer's location, orwith a “ten minutes to estimated arrival time,” or with other similarinformation that may be useful to the customer in understanding theprovider's progress. The e-alert format information may be displayed onthe screen 60, 58 of the customer mobile electronic device 20 and/orprovider mobile electronic device 18 automatically as an overlay on areal-time tracking map graphic and/or may be stored as a series ofdiscrete notifications accessible by the customer and/or provider. Theprovider location information in e-alert format may be continuously madeavailable at the mobile electronic device(s) 18, 20 or periodicallygenerated automatically or upon request as a series of e-alerts. It isenvisioned that a variety of similar e-alert formats may be employedwith the present technology without departing from the spirit of thepresent inventive concept.

In addition, the customer software application 24 may be configured toperiodically or continuously, and/or upon request, display the personalemployee information of the provider employee information bundle.Moreover, data that is generated regarding the performance andrepresentations made by each provider may be recorded throughout theservice runs and saved to the provider database. The customer softwareapplication 24 may further be configured to collect subjective customerfeedback, for example relating to any security or performance concernsidentified by the customer. Such information may be transmitted to theoperations server 14 for storage in association with the providerdatabase, any may be flagged as having been obtained through subjectobservation mechanisms.

Following completion of the service run, the customer may enter andtransmit an indication of desired payment at the customer mobileelectronic device 20, essentially instigating the billing process andsignaling the run has been successfully and satisfactorily completed.The operations server 14 may receive such an indication and itsoperations software application 26 may be configured to issue anotification of payment to the provider, signaling the occurrence of theforegoing. Alternatively, the provider may enter an indication ofdesired payment via the provider mobile electronic device 18. In eithercase, the operations software application 26 of the operations server 14may be configured to respond with appropriate invoicing documents issuedto one or both of the customer and provider. The operations softwareapplication 26 may alternatively be configured to automatically issue aninvoice based upon determination of an indication of service runcompletion by the customer software application 24 and/or by theoperations software application 26. In one example, the indication ofservice run completion may include comparison of the customer locationinformation with the provider location information. Once the positionsof the customer and provider converge, and then diverge a sufficientdistance, for example according to a pre-determined range of times andgeographic radius parameters, the indication of service run completionmay be determined. The operations software application 26 may beconfigured optionally to issue a completion confirmation request to thecustomer and/or provider. The operations server 14 may automaticallyissue an invoice based upon the indication of service run completion. Itis envisioned that other facts may be relied on to determine theindication of service run completion without departing from the spiritof the present inventive concept.

In addition, accumulated data regarding the steps and methods performedaccording to the above may be stored with reference specifically to eachprovider and provider employee, respectively, in provider performanceprofiles and provider employee performance sub-profiles. For instance,the operations software application 26 may be configured to instruct thememory element 38 to store provider location information over the courseof each service run. The processing element 34 of the operations server14 may compare the actual arrival time information against estimatedarrival time data to determine efficiency and response time as comparedwith promises made before being awarded the service run. The operationssoftware application 26 may further be configured to determine time toservice completion, which may be stored and/or compared against at leastone of (a) average times to service completion of other providers, and(b) a standard time to service completion associated with a category ofthe service runs. The memory element 38 may be configured to store theresults of the time to service completion information.

It is envisioned that additional useful analyses may be performed on thedata collected by the present technology, and may be stored and reliedupon for an improved customer experience, without departing from thespirit of the present inventive concept. The system may includeadditional, less, or alternate functionality, including that discussedelsewhere herein.

Another Exemplary Embodiment

Referring to FIGS. 7A-7D, another exemplary system 200 (comprisingcollectively those components designated 200 a-200 d) and method forproviding dynamic roadside assistance coordination is described. Acustomer that may seek roadside assistance may be provided a copy of acustomer software application 202 for installation and execution on acustomer mobile electronic device (not shown in FIG. 7). A roadsideassistance provider such as a tow truck service or other serviceprovider may similarly be provided a copy of a complementary providersoftware application 204 for installation and execution on a providermobile electronic device (not shown in FIG. 7). These softwareapplications 202, 204 may be specifically configured to guide theperformance of certain tasks unique to the hardware capabilities of suchmobile electronic devices. The software applications 202, 204 may, forexample, be provided under or in connection with the registered servicemark Pocket Agent®.

Referring to step 300, the customer may access the customer softwareapplication 202 via a login procedure using user information, and mayselect a desired provider type or service type. The customer may selectthe desired provider type from a tab or menu of the customer softwareapplication 202 labeled “On the Road,” for example. The service typesmay include (a) Towing; (b) Lock out; (c) Tire change; (d) Jump start;and/or (e) Fuel delivery.

Referring to step 302, once the service type is selected, one or more ofthe following types of information may be sent to a third partyadministrator or “TPA,” for example via an operations server (not shownin FIG. 7), and/or to the provider mobile electronic device: (i)GPS-detected data regarding customer's location; (ii) the service typethe customer or user selected; (iii) the user's contact phone number;and/or (iv) coverage/policy information regarding the user or customer.

Referring to step 304, the operations server may match the customer tootherwise match with the closest available provider using at least someof the customer information provided under step 302, for example byrelying on customer location information. The operations server mayfurther send the assignment, or transmit a service run confirmationrequest, to the provider mobile electronic device. Such a provider mayutilize the provider software application 204 to accept the service runor assignment. The operations server may further transmit to theprovider all or some of the information transmitted in step 302, and mayfurther transmit an indication of whether insurance coverage applies tothe service run, or of whether a coverage criteria has been satisfied.This may indicate to the provider whether an invoice will or should beissued to the TPA and/or to the customer directly.

The provider software application 204 may further transmit to theoperations server and/or customer mobile electronic device one or moreof the following types of information: (1) GPS-detected providerlocation information, for example in global positioning coordinateformat, regarding the driver or employee of the provider; (2) aphotograph of the driver; and/or (3) contact phone number for thedriver. The provider may also be prompted by the provider softwareapplication 204 and/or by the operations server to enter an estimatedarrival time and/or consent to transmission of anautomatically-generated estimated arrival time based upon the provideremployee's then-current or projected provider location information, forexample where such information is obtained via a GPS receiver of theprovider mobile electronic device.

Referring to step 306, the operations server may then transmit one ormore of the following types of information to the customer mobileelectronic device and/or provide instructions for the display of one ormore of the following on a screen thereof: (A) the driver's estimatedarrival time; (B) a map of the driver or provider employee's locationbased upon GPS receiver-generated data; (C) driver or provideremployee's telephone number or other contact information; and/or (D) aphotograph of the driver or provider employee.

Referring to step 308, the customer software application 202 may enablethe customer to track the provider employee or driver, for example usingdata in global positioning coordinate format transmitted to the customermobile electronic device leading to a graphic overlay on a customer mapgraphic on the customer mobile electronic device. Where the estimatedtime of arrival is also displayed to the customer, it may beperiodically or continuously updated based upon such global positioningcoordinate format data regarding the provider employee or driver.

Referring to step 310, once the service or service run is completed, theprovider may bill an insurer electronically using the provider softwareapplication 204, for example by issuing an indication of desired paymentto the operations server. Alternatively or in parallel, the customer maypay an invoice using the customer software application 202, for exampleissuing in turn his own indication of desired payment to the operationsserver.

The system 200 may include additional, less, or alternate functionality,including that discussed elsewhere herein. The method may includeadditional, less, or alternate actions, including those discussedelsewhere herein, and/or may be implemented via a computer system,communication network, one or more processors or servers (e.g.,communication beacons, vehicle control/communication systems, mobiledevices, and/or remote servers), and/or computer-executable instructionsstored on non-transitory storage media or computer readable medium.

Exemplary Insurance Provider Remote Server

In one aspect, a computer-implemented method for facilitating roadsideassistance, such as implemented via an insurance provider remote server,may be provided. The computer-implemented method may include (1)receiving, at a remote server (or associated transceiver), such as viawireless communication and/or data transmission, an indication that acustomer is in need of roadside assistance from a secure applicationrunning on a mobile device or smart vehicle controller associated with acustomer, the secure application requiring customer login, such as asecure application requiring customer user ID and password informationto login, and the indication further including a current GPS location ofthe customer mobile device or smart vehicle (“customer location”). Themethod may include: (2) determining, at the remote server, eitherindirectly or directly, a closest “trusted” service provider thatprovides roadside assistance, a “trusted” service provider beingdetermined from customer rankings or ratings, quality of service orrepairs, and/or fastest response time; (3) sending, at or from theremote server (or associated transceiver), such as via wirelesscommunication, (i) a request to the trusted service provider (or anassociated computing device or server thereof) that the trusted serviceprovider proceed to the customer location to render roadside assistance,and/or (ii) a current customer GPS location; (4) receiving, at theremote server (or associated transceiver), such as via wirelesscommunication, (a) an indication that the trusted service provider is inroute or otherwise responding to the customer request for roadsideassistance, (b) a current GPS location of the trusted service provider(or their tow vehicle), and/or (c) an estimated time of arrival to thecustomer location; and/or (5) transmitting, from the remote server (orassociated transceiver), to the mobile device or smart vehiclecontroller of the customer (such as via wireless communication or datatransmission) (i) an indication that a trusted service provider is intransit to the customer or smart vehicle location, (ii) an indication ofthe current GPS location of the trusted service provider, (iii) anestimated time of arrival of the trusted service provider at thecustomer location, and/or (iv) an indication of the identity of thetrusted service provider/driver (such as for display on the customermobile device or smart vehicle display). As a result, (a) acknowledgingthe customer's request for roadside assistance, and (b) promptlyproviding quality roadside assistance to the customer may befacilitated.

The method may include additional, less, or alternate actions, includingthose discussed elsewhere herein. For instance, the remote server (orassociated transceiver) may further transmit an electronic payment tothe trusted service provider for services related to providing theroadside assistance to the customer, such as in accordance with aninsurance policy associated with the customer. The method may beimplemented via one or more local or remote processors.

Exemplary Customer Mobile Device or Smart Vehicle

In one aspect, a computer-implemented method for facilitating roadsideassistance, such as via a customer's mobile device or smart vehiclecontroller may be provided. The computer-implemented method may include:(1) receiving, via one or more processors (such as a mobile device orsmart vehicle controller processor, and/or an application runningthereon), login information (e.g., user ID and password); (2) verifying,via the one or more processors, that the login information, such as theuser ID and password, are associated with the customer to verify securelogin; (3) receiving, via the one or more processors, an indication thatthe customer is in need of roadside assistance, such as by the customerpressing an icon on the mobile device or smart vehicle displayassociating with towing services; (4) generating, via the one or moreprocessors, a roadside assistance message, the roadside assistancemessage indicating a request for towing or other roadside assistance(e.g., police, ambulance, etc.), and a current GPS location associatedwith the customer mobile device or vehicle; (5) transmitting, via theone or more processors (or associated transceiver), such as via wirelesscommunication or data transmission, the roadside assistance messagedirectly or indirectly to a service provider remote server or othercomputing device (e.g., indirect transmission may include firsttransmitting the roadside assistance to a remote server of an insuranceprovider to allow the insurance provider remote server (i) to select atrusted service provider that has a vehicle in the vicinity of thecustomer's location, and (ii) then request, on the customer's behalf,that the trusted service provider vehicle proceed to the customer'slocation and render roadside assistance); (6) receiving, via the one ormore processors (or associated transceiver), a reply message (such asvia wireless communication or data transmission), the reply messageindicating (a) that roadside assistance is on the way; (b) anidentification of the roadside assistance service provider and/ordriver; (c) a current location of a service provider vehicle in route tothe customer's location; and/or (d) an estimated time of arrival of theservice provider vehicle at the customer's location; and/or (7)displaying, via the one or more processors, all or portions of the replymessage on a display screen of the mobile device (or smart vehicledisplay) to facilitating providing prompt quality roadside assistance tocustomers and letting each customer know that their request has beenreceived, a trusted service provider (or roadside assistance) is on theway, the current location of the trusted service provider vehicle,and/or the identity of the trusted service provider (and/or anassociated driver).

The method may include additional, less, or alternate actions, includingthat discussed elsewhere herein. For instance, an insurance providerremote server may further transmit an electronic payment to the trustedservice provider computing device or server for services related toproviding the roadside assistance to the customer, such as in accordancewith an insurance policy associated with the customer.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

In this description, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or“embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to areincluded in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separatereferences to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” inthis description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and arealso not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. Forexample, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment mayalso be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included.Thus, the current technology can include a variety of combinationsand/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

Although the present application sets forth a detailed description ofnumerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legalscope of the description is defined by the words of the claims set forthat the end of this patent and equivalents. The detailed description isto be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possibleembodiment since describing every possible embodiment would beimpractical. Numerous alternative embodiments may be implemented, usingeither current technology or technology developed after the filing dateof this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof routines, subroutines, applications, or instructions. These mayconstitute either software (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readablemedium or in a transmission signal) or hardware. In hardware, theroutines, etc., are tangible units capable of performing certainoperations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. Inexample embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone,client or server computer system) or one or more hardware modules of acomputer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may beconfigured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) ascomputer hardware that operates to perform certain operations asdescribed herein.

In various embodiments, computer hardware, such as a processing element,may be implemented as special purpose or as general purpose. Forexample, the processing element may comprise dedicated circuitry orlogic that is permanently configured, such as an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), or indefinitely configured, such as an FPGA,to perform certain operations. The processing element may also compriseprogrammable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that istemporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement the processingelement as special purpose, in dedicated and permanently configuredcircuitry, or as general purpose (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “processing element” or equivalents should beunderstood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that isphysically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), ortemporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manneror to perform certain operations described herein. Consideringembodiments in which the processing element is temporarily configured(e.g., programmed), each of the processing elements need not beconfigured or instantiated at any one instance in time. For example,where the processing element comprises a general-purpose processorconfigured using software, the general-purpose processor may beconfigured as respective different processing elements at differenttimes. Software may accordingly configure the processing element toconstitute a particular hardware configuration at one instance of timeand to constitute a different hardware configuration at a differentinstance of time.

Computer hardware components, such as communication elements, memoryelements, processing elements, and the like, may provide information to,and receive information from, other computer hardware components.Accordingly, the described computer hardware components may be regardedas being communicatively coupled. Where multiple of such computerhardware components exist contemporaneously, communications may beachieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses) that connect the computer hardware components. In embodimentsin which multiple computer hardware components are configured orinstantiated at different times, communications between such computerhardware components may be achieved, for example, through the storageand retrieval of information in memory structures to which the multiplecomputer hardware components have access. For example, one computerhardware component may perform an operation and store the output of thatoperation in a memory device to which it is communicatively coupled. Afurther computer hardware component may then, at a later time, accessthe memory device to retrieve and process the stored output. Computerhardware components may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and may operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processing elements thatare temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configuredto perform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processing elements may constitute processingelement-implemented modules that operate to perform one or moreoperations or functions. The modules referred to herein may, in someexample embodiments, comprise processing element-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods or routines described herein may be at leastpartially processing element-implemented. For example, at least some ofthe operations of a method may be performed by one or more processingelements or processing element-implemented hardware modules. Theperformance of certain of the operations may be distributed among theone or more processing elements, not only residing within a singlemachine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some exampleembodiments, the processing elements may be located in a single location(e.g., within a home environment, an office environment or as a serverfarm), while in other embodiments the processing elements may bedistributed across a number of locations.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using wordssuch as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,”“presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions orprocesses of a machine (e.g., a computer with a processing element andother computer hardware components) that manipulates or transforms datarepresented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical)quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or othermachine components that receive, store, transmit, or displayinformation.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is notnecessarily limited to only those elements but may include otherelements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus.

The patent claims at the end of this patent application are not intendedto be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless traditionalmeans-plus-function language is expressly recited, such as “means for”or “step for” language being explicitly recited in the claim(s).

Although the invention has been described with reference to theembodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is notedthat equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims.

We claim:
 1. A computer-implemented method for managing a dynamicroadside assistance network, the computer-implemented method comprising:acquiring, via an operations server, availability information associatedwith a plurality of roadside assistance service providers; receiving,via the operations server, customer location information of a customer;comparing, via the operations server, the customer location informationwith the availability information to match a provider of the pluralityof roadside assistance service providers to the customer to facilitateproviding roadside assistance to the customer via a service run;transmitting, by a provider mobile electronic device, securityinformation of a provider employee assigned to the service run to thecustomer mobile electronic device, wherein the security information isobtained via activation of a sensor of the provider mobile electronicdevice; automatically acquiring, via the operations server, service runprovider location information including geographic positioningcoordinate data generated by the provider mobile electronic device;automatically acquiring, via the operations server, service run customerlocation information including geographic positioning coordinate datagenerated by a customer mobile electronic device of the customer;automatically determining, via the operations server, completion of theservice run at least in part by determining whether the service runcustomer location and the service run provider location informationconverge, and subsequently diverge according to pre-determined time anddistance parameters; and automatically issuing, via the operationsserver, an invoice based at least in part on the automatic determinationof completion of the service run.
 2. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, further comprising, comparing via the operations server, anestimated arrival time manually-entered at the provider mobileelectronic device against actual arrival time information, and storingthe results in an individual provider performance profile of theprovider.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising storing, via the operations server, an individual providerperformance profile for each provider of the plurality of roadsideassistance service providers.
 4. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 3, further comprising receiving, via the operations server,additional provider location information relating to provider locationsdetermined throughout service runs of the provider and storing theadditional provider location information in the individual providerperformance profile of the provider.
 5. The computer-implemented methodof claim 4, wherein the additional provider location information isreceived on a periodic basis.
 6. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 5, wherein the additional provider location information isreceived in global positioning coordinate format.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the additional providerlocation information is received continuously.
 8. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the additional providerlocation information is received in global positioning coordinateformat.
 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, furthercomprising processing the additional provider location informationstored in the individual provider performance profile to determine timeto service completion information for the service runs of the provider.10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:performing a time to service completion analysis including comparing thetime to service completion information for the service runs of theprovider against at least one of (a) average times to service completionof other providers, and (b) a standard time to service completionassociated with a category of the service runs; and storing the resultsof the time to service completion analysis.
 11. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 2, further comprising receiving, via the operationsserver, customer satisfaction survey information from the customermobile electronic device.
 12. The computer-implemented method of claim1, wherein the security information is obtained via manual input at theprovider mobile electronic device.
 13. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, wherein the sensor is a camera.
 14. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 13, wherein a provider software application is furtherconfigured to issue a capture timing notification followed by aninstruction to activate the camera.
 15. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, wherein a customer software application is furtherconfigured to obtain and transmit security data including customersecurity feedback information.
 16. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, further comprising obtaining, via the operations server,security data including information regarding an employee of the matchedservice provider from a database containing public records of criminalactivity.
 17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, furthercomprising storing, via the operations server, the security data in anindividual provider performance profile of the provider.